A very happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers. I expect that right now, as we approach dinner time in the UK (it is 6.30pm and I am sitting in a coffee shop as I write this) you still have your turkey dinner ahead of you. Enjoy!
As promised, I am publishing the results of my little straw poll to find the most popular title for my book about my 2005-6 Atlantic row. I received a magnificent 387 responses - a huge thank you to everybody who took the time to submit their views.
Here are the scores on the doors - in reverse order:
0.8% Fly Like A Fish
2.3% I Row
7.8% Savage Solo
8.5% Rowing Across The Atlantic
9.8% The Unlikely Adventurer
11.4% Notes From A Small Boat
20.9% One Stroke At A Time
38.5% Other (no, not as a title! your alternative suggestions - see below for the best)
- The Savage Rower
- A Change in Course
- The Savage Quest
- Me, Myself and 3,000 miles of Ocean
- Waves of Change
- Naked Determination
- My Life As a Bobber
- Away from the drips and into the drink
- Solo Savage
- Pull
- Sea Savage
There were many other imaginative suggestions too - some amusing, some intriguing, and some, errr, well, the less said the better....
There were lots of suggestions of "Savage Seas" but this is already the title of a book. And another ocean rower, Maud Fontenoy, also published a book called "Alone Across the Savage Sea" - so this is definitely out.
"The Naked Rower" was also suggested - but this, too, has already been used - by my friend Rob Hamill, who with his crewmate won the first ever Atlantic Rowing Race.
But there are also issues with the current winner - One Stroke At A Time - that I have only just discovered. Copied from the internet...
Canoe Tripping and Life: One Stroke at a Time $10.75 - Barnes & Noble.com
Female Masturbation : Orgasm One Stroke at a Time $21.99 - Amazon.com
What can I say? It's all very unfortunate.... and the debate continues.
Meanwhile, much activity here. Jim Paulson, my new Director of Technology, is over here from the US for an intense week of meetings. In the pipeline: a new-look website including many features suggested by participants in my last survey, and also an iPhone app that will allow users to "Race Roz" in a virtual race across the Pacific. Details coming soon, but all very exciting!
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Comments [0]
The swiftest straw poll ever - just one question to answer. We've been looking for a killer title for the book about my solo Atlantic row. It's harder than you might think to come up with that title that will make the book leap off the bookshelf at your average bookstore browser.
So I need your help! Please go to my one-question survey and pick your favourite from our shortlist - or use the free format box to make your own suggestion if you think you can do better.
Thank you!!
[Photo: I am staying for a few days with my friend Romy Shovelton at her 250-year-old farmhouse in Wales, where she lives with her Canadian husky, Qimmiq. We recorded a podcast today - coming soon to an iTunes near you - just as soon as I've had time to edit it - but I was busy today with a potentially very formative meeting at the Centre for Alternative Technology in nearby Machynlleth.]
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A postscript to the online quiz: as well as the multiple choice questions, there was a free format comment box at the end, and this yielded some of the most informative feedback of all. The general points that kept cropping up were (in roughly descending order):
1. More photos and videos
2. Bring back the podcasts!!
3. "RozTracker" - a map showing where I am and where I am going in the near future
4. Centralization of content on rozsavage.com, rather than having to go to external sites for photos, videos, etc.
5. Make blog phone-friendly for easier reading on Blackberries and iPhones
6. Individual pages for each blog to improve ease of navigation
7. Excerpts from book read by me as podcasts
8. Improve the RSS feed functionality
9. Countdown to next departure date
10. More information on boat maintenance and details
As to actual content, this was more contentious, showing only that you can't please everybody, all of the time. The majority waned MORE stuff about my day-to-day life, but some people don't appreciate my more mundane ramblings. The overall message was that I should keep it personal - and not get too "professional". The Truman Show meets Life of Roz.
In the same vein, opinion was divided as to whether I should comment on environmental and political issues. Some people only want to hear about my activities - others are interested in my views as well. Personally, I can't separate the two. My inner world dictates what happens in my outer world. My beliefs govern my actions. So I tend to feel it's important to talk about my world view to explain why I do what I do - to show that there is method in my madness!
I'm presenting you with these results so you'll know that I have taken notice and will keep all your feedback in mind when revamping the site and when posting future content. But also know that if I can't please everybody, all of the time, there will be occasions when I choose simply to please myself. After all, it is my blog and reflects who I am, warts and all!
Thanks again for all the feedback. That quiz is now ended, but there will be more coming soon. Watch this space!
[photo: in obedience to requests for more photos - a pic of me (right) and my sister after our 5-hour caving expedition in the Lake District yesterday. I am still finding mud in unexpected places....!]
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Thank you SO much to all who took part in my quiz. The results were extremely helpful in determining the direction of the new website. I was pleased to find that most of the suggestions for improvements tallied exactly with what I had in mind - mostly around improved navigability, a "RozTracker" window, and increased emphasis on video, photo, and podcast media. I'm working on the new website spec right now, and hope to have addressed many of these issues before the next leg of my row - or hopefully even sooner.
Here are the headlines:
Q: How first brought you to rozsavage.com?
25% read about Roz in the media
28% came via the podcast (but also many in "Other" came into this category)
Remainder - various other ways and means.
Q: Which bits of rozsavage.com do you use the most? (more than one response allowed)
40% Blog
18% Podcast
15% Photo Gallery
10% Videos
13% Twitter
2% Other
Q: Which, if any, of these do you subscribe to so that you receive rozsavage.com content automatically? Choose all that apply.
15% Blog (Feedblitz)
16% Blog (RSS)
2% SMS Updates
9% Newsletter
20% Twitter
19% iTunes
3% Videos (YouTube)
9% Facebook
6% Other
Q: Why do you read rozsavage.com? Mark all that apply.
27% Inspiration/motivation
28% Adventure
19% Environment
8% Health and fitness
9% Technology
7% Other
Q: Would you find it helpful if the blogs, podcasts, etc on rozsavage.com were categorized according to subject matter? e.g. separated according to whether they relate most to the environment / motivation / preparations for the next rowing adventure etc?
34% Yes
65% No
Q: Do you use different formats for different purposes? Maybe a podcast for inspiration in the gym, but prefer to read blogs about the environment so you can forward the link to friends?
This one gets a bit complicated, but basically it seems that most people like blogs, but podcasts and videos are also very popular - especially for the adventure.
Q: Do you agree with the following statements? (Again, complicated but the headlines are):
I can easily find what I am looking for on rozsavage.com
62% Usually
I feel like I am sharing Roz's adventures
56% Always
I feel like I am missing out on some aspects of the story because I don't use all the multimedia options available
33% Sometimes
As for the free format suggestions at the end of the quiz, that was where it got REALLY interesting for me. Thanks to all those who took the trouble to give their feedback - all duly logged, noted, and heeded.
I really enjoyed reading these results, and there will be more quizzes to come in the future. Some will be about me and my site, some will be about you and your take on the environment, life challenges, technology, etc. All in all, I love your participation, and I look forward to more exchanges of information in the future.
THANK YOU!!
Roz
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